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Japanese angelica tree

Aralia elata

Also called Japanese Aralia, Korean Angelica Tree, Hercules' Club

Japanese angelica tree
Photo: ‘Uncle Carl’ (カールおじさん)., CC BY-SA 3.0

Aralia elata is a deciduous tree or large shrub from East Asia, grown for its huge, fern-like leaves and spiny trunk. It does best in deep, loamy soil with some shade, though it tolerates poorer soil and full sun.

Family
Araliaceae (Ivy family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then water in dry spells; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Deep, loamy, well-drained soil.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters; suited to temperate climates, protect young plants from severe frost.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Russian Far East to China and Temp. E. Asia
Climate
temperate

About

Aralia elata, also known as the Japanese angelica tree, Chinese angelica-tree, or Korean angelica-tree, is a species of woody plant in the family Araliaceae native to eastern Asia (in Russia, China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan).

How to grow it

Aralia elata is cultivated, often in a variegated form, for its exotic appearance. It prefers deep loamy soils in partial shade, but will grow in poorer soils and in full sun. The cultivars 'Variegata' and 'Aureovariegata' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Other Aralia plants

California spikenard · Udo · American spikenard · Devil's walkingstick · Spikenard

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aralia elata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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